In the age of COVID-19, there’s far more to private charter than superior comfort, enhanced flexibility, and significant time savings. These days, the benefits also include a new level of passenger safety compared to commercial flights.
Without having to navigate crowded airports, wait in crammed TSA lines, or interact with across-the-aisle passengers you don’t know, private charter is naturally set up for social distancing, thorough disinfection practices, and more. In other words, there’s never been a better (or more important) time to consider whether private charter might be right for you.
If you’re new to the process, here’s what you need to know when making the jump from commercial to private charter with Tradewind Aviation.
How to Book a Private Charter
Tradewind offers an informative and hands-on approach to inquiring and booking a private charter. Travelers may visit flytradewind.com to learn more about the experience, destinations, aircraft, and payment options. To inquire about a specific trip, a charter search form provides aircraft options and estimated pricing. Travelers may also contact Tradewind directly by phone or email to discuss the trip.
From there, “the private charter experience starts with a consultation with our flight specialists so we can learn more about the client’s needs and offer the perfect solution,” says Tradewind Vice President and Co-Owner David Zipkin. “We discuss desired timing, routing, most convenient airports, passenger and luggage loads, special cargo, catering, and pets, if applicable.”
Your flight specialist will then match you with the aircraft that best suits your needs. For short-range flights and small airports, one of Tradewind’s Pilatus PC-12 turboprop planes often makes the most sense, while longer flights are usually serviced by the Tradewind fleet of Citation CJ3 light jets. With the Pilatus PC-12, you will achieve substantial cost savings over a jet — and for short-range flights (New York to Boston, for example), the flight time difference to flying a jet will be minimal. In cases where either aircraft is a viable option, your flight specialist will guide you through an honest discussion of pros and cons for each.
Once you’ve customized your options, your flight specialist will book the trip, and you’ll be (almost) ready for take-off. “The trip is now with our client services team, which finalizes the trip by collecting additional information and assisting with other needs such as ground transportation and catering,” says Zipkin.
When to Book a Private Flight
The process outlined above can truly start as early or as late as you’d like it to — that’s part of the beauty of flying private.
“A private charter can be booked up to just a few hours before departure — although we recommend at least 24 hours to ensure availability of options,” says Zipkin. If you’re traveling in peak periods (such as around long weekends or holidays), you will want to consider planning your trip at least a couple of weeks in advance.
What is an Empty Leg?
During the booking process, your flight specialist will also let you know if there’s an empty leg flight that may fit your itinerary. An empty leg flight refers to a plane that will be re-positioning from one destination to another with no passengers on it, such as a return flight back to the plane’s original location.
While they don’t offer the same options in terms of choosing your time or airport, if your travel is flexible, these flights offer significant savings on a private charter. (If you’d like to be in the know about Tradewind’s empty legs, you can sign up for the email list or watch for posts on the website, Twitter, and Instagram channels.)
What to Expect When Flying Private
Flying private offers a very different experience than boarding a commercial flight — no early arrivals, baggage check, or TSA lines (security is handled before your trip with our vetting protocols).
“Most private flights operate from private FBO terminals, which offer a crowd-free environment and expedited departures,” explains Zipkin. (More on FBOs in a moment.) “Some FBOs will allow you to drive right to the airplane… and when you return, your vehicle will be brought out to the plane. At others, passengers are greeted curbside by the pilots and escorted out to the plane. The experience is full service and efficient, and most flights depart within just a few minutes of passenger arrival.” That means no waiting around, which offers significant time savings — rather than showing up 2 hours beforehand, you can arrive just 10 minutes before your scheduled departure.
In-flight, you’ll of course have the cabin to yourself. “Tradewind flights are always operated by two pilots. In turbo-props, light, and mid-size jets, there is typically no flight attendant,” says Zipkin — which means less contact with other people. “In large cabin aircraft, a flight attendant is onboard.”
The deplaning process is equally as seamless as the boarding process — you’ll be on your way moments after the plane lands at the FBO.
What is an FBO?
If you’re (understandably) wondering what an FBO is, allow us to explain. “FBO stands for ‘fixed-base operator,’ which is a fancy name for a private terminal,” says Zipkin. “Airlines do not operate from FBOs, so the environment is crowd-free and set up for convenience, privacy, and comfort.”
As a bonus, most FBOs also offer complimentary valet parking and convenient self-park options, as well as well-appointed lounges and refreshments.
Cost of Flying Private
While flying private certainly comes at a premium, you’ll be surprised by the value you can find with Tradewind Aviation. For example, flying from Westchester to Nantucket on a Pilatus PC-12 private charter costs approximately $4,295 (excluding taxes and fees), and with eight people, this rounds out to just over $536 per person.
Tradewind also now features Private Shuttles (departing on set schedules), which offer an additional 20 percent savings (~$3,436, or ~$430 per person with eight people). By comparison, a seat on a regular shuttle flight (which is shared with up to seven other passengers and departs on set schedules) costs up to $875.
As an example of a longer-haul flight, a private charter from New York to Palm Beach on a Citation CJ3 jet costs around $15,000 and can accommodate up to six people.
Other Benefits of Flying Private
From customizing your trip details to traveling only with your party (an especially meaningful perk in COVID times), the benefits of flying private are as vast as your options themselves.
You get to choose what time suits your schedule, as well as depart and arrive at airports closer to your destination. “For example, someone traveling from Greenwich, Connecticut to Stowe, Vermont can fly from Westchester County Airport (closer to home, instead of an NYC airport) and fly directly into Stowe (instead of Burlington, VT, 45 minutes away),” explains Grace Richardson, Marketing Manager at Tradewind Aviation.
“Beyond convenience, privacy, and comfort, private charter offers maximum flexibility,” adds Zipkin. “The departure time can be changed at any time at no cost. On our domestic routes, flights may be cancelled up to 24 hours prior to departure and the client is not charged for the flight.”
At a time when it seems like the world (and your plans) can change on a dime, this is more important than ever.
Visit flytradewind.com to learn more about Tradewind’s private aviation solutions, or contact them directly at 1-800-376-7922 or charter@flytradewind.com. To learn more about Tradewind’s comprehensive safety plan, please visit our COVID-19 Response page. For latest travel updates, please visit our Travel Advisory page.